By PRINCIPAL CHIEF RICHARD G. SNEED
Shiyo! I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful fall weather and all the activities associated with this change in seasons. I have been very busy these past few weeks, but very much enjoy working for the Eastern Band this time of year.
PERFORMANCE: Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed welcomes people to a performance of “Si Otsedoha: We are Still Here”, a collaboration between the Cherokee Chambers Singers and the North Carolina Symphony, during a performance at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 18. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)
We started the month with the Cherokee Indian Fair and I was so excited to visit with everyone and enjoy the activities prepared for our community. We were witness to the wonderful talent and poise of our young Cherokee ladies through the Miss Cherokee pageants. I would like to applaud all the contestants for having the courage to represent your families and communities in this pageant. I would like to congratulate the newly-crowned Miss Cherokee Mystikal Spirit Walela Armachain, Teen Miss Cherokee Juakina Perez, Junior Miss Cherokee Destiny Siweumptewa, and Little Miss Cherokee Morgan Hernandez. I would like to thank the Royalty Board and Pageant Board for all their hard work on these pageants and all you do for our Cherokee ladies.
It was a great privilege to honor our Cherokee elders and veterans during the Cherokee Indian Fair. I hope everyone enjoyed the gifts presented from my office. I appreciate the opportunity to visit with each of you and look forward to seeing each of you again soon.
Following the Cherokee Indian Fair several representatives from the EBCI traveled to the United South and Eastern Tribes Fall conference in upstate New York. The Seneca Nation was a gracious host, and I relished the opportunity to learn more about their culture. I appreciate the work USET does on behalf of the EBCI and other Tribes in our region, and I look forward to continuing our work with this organization.
The Cherokee Chamber Singers partnered with the North Carolina Symphony to create a few pieces which they performed for the Cherokee community this past week. They also presented this performance in Raleigh and Western Carolina University. I was very impressed with the skill and professionalism demonstrated by our Cherokee youth and was touched by their thoughts on our Cherokee history which were incorporated into the performance. I would like to thank all those involved in making this partnership a possibility with a special thanks to the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.
My office is gearing up for the many Trick-or-Treat activities planned for Cherokee in the next two weeks. I look forward to seeing everyone’s costumes, so please come out and say Boo!
As always, if my office may be of assistance to you please call (828) 359-7002 to schedule an appointment. Sgi!
